Problems with Hasselblad 500 EL/M

[Pezza]

Hi there everyone. I've recently inherited a Hasselblad 500 EL/M, with an un-matched A12 back, and a couple of Carl Zeiss lenses (50mm f4, 120mm f5.6), and everything looks to have been manufactured in 1973. When I got the camera the surfaces of everything were somewhat dusty, but with careful use of an air blower (one of those squishy ones) and some gentle brushing it all looks clean. The lenses now look pristine, no sign of any fungus or dust inside them.

I took the camera out and shot some Velvia 100 and some Ilford 100 and I've just had the scans back:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartperry/sets/72157628949975949/

Would any of you have an idea of what's causing the issue? All the pics were taken in overcast conditions, so it's not lens-flare, and the problem seems to occur with both lenses.

I have Sendean, a London repair specialist, quite close to my place of work, so I'll probably take it to them unless anyone has any better recommendations.

Thanks for reading!

[David Watson]

Looks to me as if you have light seeping in from the side of the film magazine partially fogging the film.

[Pezza]

Thanks for looking. Is the light likely to be coming in between the magazine and the body when i take a picture, or could the magazine itself not be light-tight? For what it's worth I only removed the metal slide when i took a picture, and then returned it again almost immediately.

Is this a common Hasselblad problem (and more importantly, easily fixable), do you know?

[Rob C]

Fogging of some sport, by the initial look of it, or even maybe something wrong with the development of the film, though it look a bit regular for that. I only ever had the metal slide in place when I was going to change/remove the magazine; over many years of use neither of two bodies, 500C and 500CM, ever leaked, so no, it isn't a common fault. In fact, I doubt there were many common faults, in the sense of common meaning regular. Of course, as with everything, it depends on looking after your stuff over time, and since you were not the original owner, you won't be able to tell.

If the rest of the camera is in good condition, it's well worth fixing!

Rob C

[John R Smith]

Pezza

The problem you have is probably the most common problem any Hasselbald V-System user will run into. Fortunately it is also the easiest to fix.

The cause of the fogging on your frames is a defective light-trap seal in the magazine. This is a two-part foam and plastic foil device which seals the slot through which the dark slide passes, and prevents light from fogging the film. With the passage of time the foam degrades, and the seal is no longer light-tight. Any competent MF repair shop should be able to replace the seal for you, or you can get the seals from Hasselblad UK (or USA) and do the job yourself, if you feel confident. Here are correct and full instructions for the work -

http://www.hasselbladhistorical.eu/HT/HTSeal.aspx

I have had to replace the seals on every s/h magazine I have purchased (and I've had a few). To keep your light traps in good condition, store your magazines with the dark slides removed!

John

[ced]

I 2nd what John says, the foam sealers are probably wasted away over time and need to be re-sealed and is not a big deal to have done.

[Pezza]

Thanks so much for your help everyone, especially John. I've just got off the phone to Hassy customer services and they're going to send me a new light-trap kit, so hopefully that'll do the trick!

[John R Smith]

Thanks so much for your help everyone, especially John. I've just got off the phone to Hassy customer services and they're going to send me a new light-trap kit, so hopefully that'll do the trick!

Fine. If you are going to do the job yourself, a few tips -

* Work in good light and on a white cloth. Then, if you drop one of the little screws (and you will), you have a chance of getting it back.

* As you remove the cover plate, be very careful the little springs underneath stay in place. Do this carefully!

* Do NOT be tempted to pre-fold the foil. I know this seems counter intuitive, but just put the foam inside the foil and fold it over gently. Then hold it down with the dark slide while you get the cover plate on and a couple of screws in place.

Good luck!

John

[Pezza]

Thanks for those great tips, will let you know how I get on. Hassy have kindly volunteered to send me the light-kit free of charge too, I'm rather happy about that!

[langier]

Look at the film chip. Does the fogging go all the way to the edge or do you see a black border (transparency) or darkness in the light part of the film (negative film)?

If it's fogged all the way over, the back has a leak. If you see that there's still a border between the edge of the film and the image, it could be a gap between the film mag and the camera. You'll need to have this checked.

If the back fits the camera snugly, it's most likely the back that's the issue. A12 and A24 backs in fairly good condition are very inexpensive on eBay and may be the least expensive way to go, especially if there's a return privilege after testing.

In my years of shooting with an EL/ELX, besides having to have the shutters serviced every couple of years, the backs needed light traps replaced and lubed. Mis-matching inserts were not too much an issue since the parts interchanged easily. I think that the mis-match backs and inserts in reality was more psychological issue than an actual problem.

The 500 EL was a good camera and a lot of fun to shoot in the studio and in the field and those Zeiss lenses were second to none!

[uaiomex]

Hasselblad V backs are all metal. They can fall to a cement floor and not show any damage. But for some reason, almost every time this happens, the backs get a little crooked and will start leaking. By careful eye inspection with the back attached to the body, look around the entire line of union. Chances are that at some point, the line will broaden a bit. Unfortunately, there is no way to actually fix this. If this is the only back you own, you may be able to get around by pushing in the direction to the lens (forward) the one body latch that would pull the back tighter. I actually did it myself with a very small hammer giving the latch very light strikes. One light strike and test back attachment. Repeat until the line of union looks the same all around. Don't over do it because releasing the back could get to be really difficult and may damage the release mechanism.

If you plan a digital back for this camera, DON'T DO IT. You're on your own

Another way is to fabricate your own light trap by using a small strip of black velour paper for the bad corner in the union. This may help stop the leak. Find the thinnest one and hope for the back's film plane to still be within or really close to factory tolerance.

Good luck
Eduardo

[DeeJay]

With these the older film magazines, light leaks are often because the dark slide has bent and torn the seal.

Just a little tip - NEVER put your dark slide in your pocket. Always put it somewhere flat and safe from damage. In your pocket you sit or bend your leg and it bends the slide which in turn tears the seal.

[Pezza]

Great tips, thanks everyone. I just replaced the light trap, there was barely any foam left in the old trap at all! Unsurprising given that the screws looked like they'd never been opened since manufacture date, that's nearly 40yrs of decay. The back seems to fit much more snugly to the body than before too, it seems pretty uniform all the way round, and feels more "solid". The dark-slide looks quite "true" from all angles, but I'm now taking John's tip and storing it not-inserted like it was before.

Will put another roll of film through it and see how it goes...

[John R Smith]

Well done!

You are not a true Hasselblad photographer until you have replaced your first light trap 

When you feel up to it, we can move on to lubricating the old Zeiss lens helicoids . . .

John

[Pezza]

Long time in replying, as the camera's such a big old lump that it's a hassle (no pun intended) to take out and about. But the light-trap was certainly the problem, as these photos attest:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartperry/sets/72157629468066348/

I was equally pleased by the fact that "Pocket Light Meter" on my iPhone seemed to work quite well for exposure!

So thanks again for everyone's help and advice on this.

Side-topic, does anyone have smart ideas on how I'd go about swapping my EL/M body for a plain C/M body, without going down the eBay route? I really don't need the automatic winder, and I'm sure it would save a ton of weight, and therefore make me more likely to take it out and about.

[Chris Livsey]

One, and there are many  , advantages of the V 'blads is the interchangeability of all parts. This means that on the bay you may well find a manual body shell only, no finder, that will be cheaper and you can swop your finder across. I don't think that what you will get for the el/m will contribute much to the purchase and my advice would be to keep it for the future. When you buy another back you can then have two kits as you already have two lenses. This is a slippery slope BTW.

If you prefer to buy from a dealer you will pay say up to 20% more but get a warranty and some better return privileges. Indeed the 20% is historical as now often I find the dealers are the same or cheaper as the bay prices seem to go silly or people are greedy.

In the UK I have dealt with all these, yes I know, sad, and they are reliable and fair. There do seem to be relatively few bodies about now. Many pros sold off a few years back which took the market down and was a good time to buy if you avoided the high mileage examples. Now the market seems to be stable or rising as the interest in film revival, although small in the great scheme of things, takes hold. Backs are particularly good value and it is good to have a few so you can change film type without ending a roll, obvious I know.
 
http://www.procentre.co.uk/Secondhand/hasselblad_V.html
http://www.apertureuk.com/hasselblad.html
http://www.ffordes.com/category/Medium_Format/Hasselblad/Hasselblad_V_Series/Cameras
http://mrcad.co.uk/shop/home.php?cat=1023
http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/used-equipment/medium-format.html?p=1 http://www.dalephotographic.co.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/DalePhotographicOnline/_142530/1/Hasselblad
http://www.camtechuk.com/shop/shop-list/product-list.php?manufac=hassleblad

[Terence h]

The problem with the ELM is the battery set up , mine had a mod but still sits unused i prefer the 500 CM myself.

T

[Pezza]

I've actually got four original-style batteries for the EL/M, and they still seem to hold charge quite well. My father's a bit of an electrical-engineering wizard and managed to make some.

Chris, thanks so much for those links, I'll check them out and see what comes up. Seems like the 500 C/M's are popular indeed, and the 500 EL/M's really don't raise much money, so perhaps keeping it as a spare and buying a good-value 500 C/M is the way forward indeed.

I'll have a think about how far down the slippery slope I want to slide!

[amsp]

I've actually got four original-style batteries for the EL/M, and they still seem to hold charge quite well. My father's a bit of an electrical-engineering wizard and managed to make some.

Chris, thanks so much for those links, I'll check them out and see what comes up. Seems like the 500 C/M's are popular indeed, and the 500 EL/M's really don't raise much money, so perhaps keeping it as a spare and buying a good-value 500 C/M is the way forward indeed.

I'll have a think about how far down the slippery slope I want to slide!

Well, you already have two very good lenses at the opposite ends of the focal length scale, buying another body with maybe an 80mm would cost you very little and complement what you have nicely. I bought a 501cm a couple of months ago and have had a blast with it ever since. You can have a look at some of the photographs here.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hassy501cm/